TURBULENT WATERS
Roine Stolt discusses the state of supergroup The Sea Within…
While Stolt is enthroned again as The Flower King, The
Sea Within remains very much a going concern. The supergroup got off to a less than auspicious start when they proceeded to lose their charismatic singer, Pain Of Salvation leader Daniel Gildenlöw, almost as soon as they had begun. “Maybe it was a bad idea in the first place that Daniel was in the band,” Stolt sighs.
The Sea Within’s launch stuttered further when bassist Jonas Reingold proved unavailable for their live debut at Loreley, with Marillion’s Pete Trewavas subbing, while Flying Colors’ vocalist Casey McPherson has apparently permanently replaced Gildenlöw. Strangely – and contrary to Stolt’s own wishes – The Sea Within have yet to tour, although they are scheduled to play Cruise To The Edge next February.
Together with some mixed reviews for their eponymous debut album, Stolt acknowledges that the first year of The Sea Within has been far from plain sailing. “People get confused with someone else coming in singing, even though Casey sang a couple of songs on the album. And while Loreley wasn’t super, it was
OK. We did a good job given we didn’t even have a soundcheck. We all agreed when we left Loreley what a great week we’d had rehearsing and playing. We could feel the chemistry.”
Consequently, Stolt is optimistic that The Sea Within will rise to greater heights. “So far it has turned out a bit strange, but we are now planning a spring tour. I think we can solidify and build up momentum. It’s weird to have this gap of six to eight months between releasing the album and touring. Also, once we get out and play live and make a second album, the dynamics within the band will be clear.”
Stolt takes encouragement from the last rehearsal that The Sea Within undertook prior to performing at Loreley. “I’ve never been in a band that sounded so perfect,” he enthuses. “Transatlantic for sure didn’t sound that perfect! Neither did The Flower Kings. I know The Sea Within will sound fantastic once we get 10 shows under our belt. And after another album we can judge whether it really works or not. The last word hasn’t been said about The Sea Within!”